Crystal Scars
by winteriscute
Summary: Hello! This is a story (ongoing) based on the concepts of Guilty Crown and SAO. Apparently, Da'ath has another plan to conquer mankind. However, it kind of goes wrong... Please enjoy, follow, fav! :D
1. A Game of Many

**Solstice**

I opened my eyes. The sunlight pricked my eyes as it urged me to get up. My hand instinctively covered my face, and I took a long, deep breath, the wisps of my wavy, black hair tickling my cheek. Birds were chirping and the scritch scratch of a tree's branches against my window joined the chorus as well.

My muscles ached as I slowly pulled myself up, my sky blue quilt sliding from my shoulders. I stretched my arms over my head, and pulled myself as taut as a string. _Today's a Saturday…_

I jumped out of my warm cocoon and threw my coffee-colored door open in a frenzy.

 _Oh no, I'm going to be late!_ I thought as I grabbed my clean, out-of-the-dryer clothing and flung them on. I pumped my arms as I sprinted down the stairs to grab a bowl of cold milk and a handful of Cheerios, gulping and munching the the grainy goodness down my throat.

"MOM! I'm diving!" I yelled, my voice echoing throughout the little cramped house I had lived in for all my life. A grunt of consent came from my mom, but I was already bolting back to my room, tripping and falling over misplaced books, newspapers, and boxes filled with junk.

The old bed groaned as I slammed my weight onto the tattered mattress and I immediately strapped in my nerve gear, ready to play the MMORPG, RealmsOfValor, or ROV. It had aired just a few months ago, and everyone ages 13 and up were playing it. Including me. I remember diving in to that stunning world, seeing the fairytale castles, flowing meadows, breathless mountains, windy deserts.

The MMORPG was a big hit everywhere and today, before the clock hits 7 AM, you can sign in to do a level 60 mission that only opens up to the public _today_. As a beast-tamer in the game (a really rare skill to acquire), I was ready to complete the daunting mission. To prove that I'm not shy, not nerdy, to prove that I was strong. That I could take on anything.

"Link Start!" I shouted.

 **Ayden**

 _Pant, pant._ My footsteps echoed down the long, arched hallway, hitting the bare metal floor in a steady rhythm. My father's words at the diplomatic meeting were still entangled in my mind, never to go away.

"A dangerous, fatal virus has been released by the bio-terrorists. We do not know what it will do to the world, but we need to be immensely careful and find the source immediately, at all costs. The whole human race may be in danger."

I shook my head, attempting to clear my head from these thoughts. With one hand, I swiped my short golden hair in an attempt to keep it neat and orderly. My tailored suit was flapping about wildly, and my black tie was gripped in my other hand to keep it from flying loose. I glanced at my silver watch, an old gift from Grandfather. _6:57_. I ran harder, sweat starting to collect on my forehead. Barging into my room, I hit my bed hard, the golden tassels at the end of the silver blankets bouncing up and down. My hand reached toward my nerve gear, slipping it on. _I can't be late._

 **Solstice**

Colors flew past me in a blur, until I had to shut my eyes to keep the nagging hues out of my mind. I opened my eyes a crack, and they at once focused on the sparkling streets and shops, filled with people of different colors and shapes. I had spawned in the Realm of Light, the spawning point for every avatar in the game. My feet finally were let go by the invisible force that held me, and immediately started to run to the mission entrance. It wasn't far, and there was still a minute left to enter. _Tap, tap_. I heard footsteps behind me. There was a flash of blue and my knee hit the pavement. Hard. Someone bashed into my forehead, and a jolt of pain was sent to my brain as I collapsed onto the pavement. I slowly opened my eyes, afraid of what I was about to see. It was a boy with messy blond curls, blushing hard as he struggled to get himself off of me. He had sharp blue eyes, and he looked… quite perfect. His nose was proportional, jaw set straight, eyes the perfect distance. Gathering all my strength, I threw him off of me.

"Watch where you're going!" I shrieked. Turning myself away from the confused boy, I ran the last few meters to the glowing entrance portal.

 **Ayden**

The girl turned her heels and left, with her nose sticking up in the air and her black ponytail whipping around her. Just like that. She was mesmerizing, with red, fiery eyes and a prominent nose that made her look a bit cute. Only a bit. Her weapon shined and glistened in the sun, a beautiful silver bow…

Snapping out of my trance, I took after the girl through the portal. Maybe I could team up with her and complete the mission with her. Maybe. As I leapt through the swirling mass, out of the corner of my eye I saw it shrink a little. I breathed a sigh of relief. I had gotten in the portal just in time.

My feet crunched on the dry bark of a fallen tree. The air was filled with a pine smell, the one that went through your nose and made everything fresher and crispier. Looking around, I spotted a gleam of a red velvet coat: the girl. I raced after her.

"Hey!" I yelled. She turned around, her eyes burning into my skull.

"What do you want?" She asked, irritated.

"Um, I just wanted to ask if… you want to do the mission together," I muttered.

She sighed. "I can't hear you, and I don't have enough time for this. Who are you, anyway?" Her eyes shot darts through my body.

"I'm a blacksmith. A pretty good one actually." I tried to play it cool like I did in those fancy meetings with the Congress, but I sounded like an idiot. "So, do you want to team up?"

She sniffed. "Nah, I'm fine. I'll be strong enough." Her robes swished around her as she started to walk toward the looming mountain, containing over 50 bosses of every element waiting to fight you. Of course, once you enter, you can't find another friend who has entered before you. You just have to team up with them _before_ you enter the mountain.

I watched as she, step by step, made her way across the dried up bushes and fallen logs. Something snapped in me, like how the twigs broke underneath her black leather boots.

"Wait!" I shouted at her. Sounding like a crazy bear, I charged through the mass of wood and grabbed her hand just as she was about to enter. Gravity pulled. She did too, and I toppled onto her, both of us falling through the entrance of the mountain.

 **Solstice**

He had nerve and guts to fall on me _twice_ the same day. I don't care if he was a stranger in another world, I just wanted to kill him. Apparently, the system recognized us as a team and now I was stuck with him _and_ I had to share my loot with him.

Such luck.

Of course, as you would expect, I slapped him hard on his little pretty face. A red mark was probably still sitting there as we trudged along the cave floor, crystals glistening this way and that. And, alas, if you travel with him, you have to know his name.

"So, what is your name? Bob?" I rolled my eyes.

"Avatar name or real name?"

"Duh, your avatar name. I'm not a creepy stalker."

He nodded, relieved. "I'm Hawk345, you can just call me Hawke." _Such a weird name._

"Well, I'm AlinaXx, and Alina's fine," I replied curtly.

He smiled and tilted his head, his curls falling to the side. I looked away. It made me uncomfortable.

"Where _is_ the first boss?" I muttered. Just when I closed my mouth, ending the sentence, the whole floor shook. An audible shriek echoed throughout the caves, and the source revealed itself. It was a woman with the body of a black widow spider. Sticky, gum-like webs shot out at us. We dodged the missile barely, some tangling into my hair.

"Chandika!" I called while grabbing my bow. A female white tiger appeared, pixels flying out as she formed. Her black stripes shined, and she nodded at me. Then she attacked.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Hawke hold up a golden hammer, and he literally swung that thing like a brute. It didn't seem right when you saw his skinny little arms raising it into the air. I chuckled just a little bit.

My grip tightened onto my bow as I aimed an arrow at the monster. The silver bow was beautiful, designed by a top blacksmith elf in the Realm of Stone. I grasped my full pack of arrows and started to fire them at the monster, hitting her red eyes. The HP bar slowly went down until Chandika hit the last blow, roaring with audible fury. The monster exploded into a million pixels, floating away into the depths of the cave.

 **Ayden**

I was impressed when I saw her summon a beast. Only beast-tamers could do that, and to have a tiger- wow! And her archery skill was incredible; she could sign up for an elf if she wanted to. So I swung my hammer harder. I even had to take out my light, sharp sword (I forged it myself, of course) to amputate one of the demon spider's legs to get it from scrabbling at me. SO annoying.

Finally, Alina's tiger finally fought it off. I walked to her, sweating a pool, HP a bit down. Stamina a lot.

Alina returned her bow to its former position, strapped onto the back. The snow-white tiger bounded toward her, long claws scraping the pebbles of the cave floor.

I watched as Alina scratched the back of Chandika. "Good girl," she said. "Go take a rest." Pixels dissolving, the tiger disappeared and left the cave in silence. Alina glanced at me.

"Nice job with that hammer," she said.

I scratched my head, giving her a quirky grin.

She smiled back at me. "Come on, this team thing isn't as bad as it sounds." Turning away, she once again summoned a creature. _How many did she have?_

"Inferno," she whispered, and a beautiful phoenix appeared, with a coat of fire upon its radiant feathers. It flapped next to us, warming us up and illuminating the path of the cave with a soft, golden glow. Alina started to walk. And I followed.

We defeated another boss. It was a crystallized giant, and we easily defeated it with my hammer and Alina's piercing arrows. We made a great team, and as we progressed through each level, we grew stronger and stronger. And… it felt different with her now. It was more relaxed, and I guess I could call her a friend. Just a friend.

Pixels flew into the air as we heard the dragon's roar echo through the caves, one last time. I put down my hammer and sat down, groaning as I glanced at my HP, half down. Alina's HP was only a sixth down, probably because she was a long-range type of person. And she had all these creatures that did her bidding. She had a dragon, phoenix, tiger, griffin, did I mention a giant spider? How do you even tame them?

I sighed and closed my eyes. Feeling cool glass on my skin, I jolted awake. Alina stared down at me.

"I'm going to log out," she said. "We can save here, but take this healing potion first. I don't want you to die on me."

I grabbed the potion, fingers just briefly skimming her hand. "Thanks," I replied.

She nodded, and swiped the air, bringing the digital menu out. "See you later," I heard her say. "I'll be back on at about 3." Then her avatar disappeared. And I was left in silence.


	2. The Virus of a Lost Christmas

**Solstice**

There was a little hiss as I disconnected from my NerveGear. I shook my head, my hair falling down like a waterfall down my back. I could never grow it as long as the other girls, but I guess having hair reaching just a few centimeters down your shoulders was ok. Glancing at the clock, I quickly jolted up and went to wash up and prepare for the next round. My footsteps quietly tiptapped to the restroom. The mirror reflected my somewhat pale skin and my weird violet eyes that hung like 2 blood moons in the middle of my eyes. I was born with that defect. It was weird.

After washing my face three times, I dried my hands on a green towel and headed back to my room. The clock read 2:48, giving me about ten more minutes before heading back into the RoV. I sighed, and collapsed backwards onto my bed. My eyelids drooped down, and I saw the glare of sunlight reflecting off of the mirror…

 **Ayden**

"Master Ayden. Please report to the meeting room, your father wishes to speak to you."

"I'll be right there." I sighed as the maid closed the mahogany door and exited the room. I placed my nerve-gear on the bed stand and swung my feet off the bed, connecting with the ground with a loud thunk. After a few seconds of stretching, I finally gave a push and jumped off the bed.

 _Father…_

"What?!"

My father nodded his head sadly. "We need to quarantine everyone immediately. I'll give out the order, but the quarantine won't take place until tomorrow."

"But… the virus! You should be able to do something, you're the President, right?!"

He shook his head. "Apparently, the virus stops spreading once attaching itself to a certain amount of people."

"How many people?"

"Fifty."

"Wha- exactly?"

"Yes." My father sighed. "They gave us a warning letter today in the morning." He handed me a piece of crumpled up paper, signaling me to open it.

" _A new age will reign,_

 _Fifty will be chosen._

 _The government will fall_

 _Into the arms of the devil."_

My hands shook as I read the note. _Into the arms of the devil? What does that mean?_ I thought as I absent-mindedly handed the note back to my father. _Fifty people?_

My father spoke. "Ayden, you're only 15. This is my job, and I only told you this so you can keep an eye out for things. You shouldn't be worrying too much." He patted me on the back. "Go play on your nerve gear or something. You did tell all your tutors to leave; you don't want them back now, do you?"

I nodded, my head still swarming with thoughts. Glancing at the clock, I had a mini-heart attack and immediately started to run towards my room.

 _Shooooot….._

 **Solstice**

A flash of pixels appeared right in front of me, slowly forming the avatar of Hawke.

"Well, look who's 15 minutes late."

Hawke bit his lip and gave me a grin. "I had stuff to do…"

Rolling my eyes, I promptly turned around and started to walk up the slope. Hawke sighed and started walking up as well.

 _Three more bosses, huh…_

The bosses did get a lot more harder. It was until we were in the lair of the final boss that Hawke reminded me.

"Alina, the final boss is Xerathin, so you won't be able to use long-range attacks…"

I sighed. "Oh yeah, huh… I'm sure Chandika and Gollen will be ok."

My tiger and griffin were the only ones with high enough defenses that could use short-range attacks; however, the rest of my beasts relied on long-range attacks. I turned my gaze to Hawke, who was currently chugging down a red strength potion. After the red liquid disappeared, he threw away the bottle and wiped his mouth on his sleeve.

"Ready?"

I nodded.

We stepped into the threshold as the light from outside quickly faded away. Red candles lit up the dim interior, revealing a stone engraving on the other side.

 _Where…?_

Suddenly, a giant claw darted out and hooked around Hawke's waist. He screamed as it threw him against the wall, and I watched his HP drop below the half-point line.

"Chandika! Gollen! Attack, now!"

A tiger and griffin emerged side by side, claws scraping against the cold stone ground. Two claws swiped out and threw them both against the same wall, falling next to Hawke. A green smile appeared in the air, and all three claws flew down.

"STOP!"

The claws stopped suddenly. Viridescent eyes appeared above the smile.

"Why don't you… why don't you stop being a coward and come face me like a true boss?"

The smile spread.

At once, a claw shot out toward me and I whipped out my bow, blocking the attack by reflex. It crashed upon me again, and I felt something give way. A burst of pixels… and my hands felt air.

 _My… bow?!_

The claw pounded me to the ground, and I felt my HP drop.

 _Is this it? Is this the end?_

I heard a war cry. A golden hammer. A scream so loud and piercing that it shook the room itself. My feet slowly prodded me to stand up, and a "CONGRATULATIONS" appeared. My eyes widened.

 _He beat Xerathin… by himself?_

Hawke walked toward me, a bow in one hand and a hammer in the other.

"You know, your beasts are really helpful."

I grinned and welcomed Chandika and Gollen's nudges on my waist. "Alright, alright, I'll get you guys treats later. Return." After a flash of pixels, I turned to Hawke.

"Your bow broke, huh?"

I replied with a curt nod. It was literally my only weapon, and it took me a lot of sweat, tears, and blood to get it made.

Hawke whistled. "Well, you can have this one. I made it just now."

"What?" I glanced down at the bow he was offering to me. It was made out of bone and the string was glowing a dark green color. The ends had sharp, curved claws…

 _Xerathin?!_

"You… you forged this?!"

Hawke chuckled. "Yep."

My mouth hung open as I took the beautiful bow from him. "T-thanks," I stuttered nervously. No one has ever given me a gift like that in RoV.

Gripping the bow tightly, I nodded. "Why don't we see what we got?"

He laughed and swiped downwards, pulling up his menu. I did too, and I was even happier at the loot we got.

 _50,000 coins?!_

 **Ayden**

The money was a lot more than what I had expected it to be. I grinned at the black-haired girl who was smiling at the amount shown on the screen.

"Ready to go back to the Realms?"

She nodded and, using two fingers, swiped across the menu. Her avatar immediately disappeared in a shower of pixels. I followed suit and opened my eyes to the starting point of the day: the city of Ifora, located in the Realm of Light. I let my blond curls fall to the side as I looked up and breathed in the fresh, digital air.

"I guess I'll see you around, then?" Alina beamed at me. Bobbing my head, I swiped the menu screen a few more times, sending her a friend request. She glanced at me at the corner of her eye and gave me a small smirk.

"Bye."

Zap! And she was gone.

I stood there in silence, absorbing the fact that she declined my friend request. Gritting my teeth, I punched the air angrily.

 _Come ON, I even forged her a new bow!_

Sighing, I logged out as well. A burst of colors shot past me and I felt the soft silk behind my back. I groaned and turned to the side, shielding my eyes from the gleam of sunlight coming from the windows.

 _I wonder if I'll see her again…_

 **Solstice**

I slowly unhooked my NerveGear and placed it in the drawer. My breathing was ragged, and I noticed that my hands were shaking as well.

 _What's happening?_

"M-mom!" I cried, managing to step off the bed. Suddenly, my vision turned foggy. Something tripped me and I flopped to the ground. Warmth was spreading from my feet to my chest, and when I had the courage to look down, I realized I was slowly being covered in crystals. "Mom!" I screamed again. Hearing footsteps, I watched wearily as my mother opened the door and saw me lying there with a blanket of crystals. Before I could say anything else, crystals enveloped my face.

I let the darkness consume me.


	3. Breaking the Shell

HELLO!

Wow, I didn't think you would make it to the third chapter: welp, thanks! Means a lot… I promise it will get a lot more interesting after this point. Thanks again! :D

 **Ayden**

The new virus, now named "Crystal Shell" by many, took place on July 13, 2068. Fifty people became encased in hard crystals and were immediately "stored" in a laboratory. Numerous testings were made of the jagged purple crystals, and the results were affirmative. Crystal Shell did relate to the Apocalypse Virus that happened thirty years ago, much to government and public horror. We have tried to break and melt the crystal, but to little avail.

All we can do… is wait.

"Master Ayden, we are having some problems in the laboratory. Your father is down there; he wishes for you to come down as well."

I nodded and quickly walked through the stale hallways to the long staircase down into the lab. After a few minutes of sloppily treading down the stairs, I arrived at the airy room. It was filled with rows and rows of individual beds, each harboring a person covered in dark violet crystals. I noticed my father standing in the far back corner, murmuring with a scientist wearing a long, white coat. She gestured with her hand over to me, and I quickly glided to my father's side.

"Ayden." I nodded at my father as he spoke my name, encouraging him to speak. "Mrs. Olson has just informed me that the crystals are decreasing, and the infected will wake up soon." He gritted his teeth. "We may have to wipe them out."

My eyes widened. "But-"

"They are a harm to the public and the government. We have no choice but to seal this laboratory with poison gases and hope for the best; we cannot have Lost Christmas repeating itself."

"But Dad, we don't even know if they really are harmful-"

"We can't take that chance." There was a steely edge to his statement, and I knew nothing was going to stop him from killing all fifty of these people. Nevertheless, he was right. What if… something catastrophic did happen? What if…

I sighed and nodded. "I understand."

"I need you to send letters out to all the families of these people and apologize, saying that the virus took them all. Dismissed."

He turned back to the scientist, and I bowed my head and left. Picking up a packet of information of all the infected, I hurried back to my quarters and started to type on a nearby laptop.

 _Dear Friends and Family,_

 _We are dearly sorry to inform you that…_

 **Solstice**

I felt a tingle in my hands.

 _Break loose, Solstice._

My hand erupted out of the hard crystal shell, and I felt the rest of the shell shatter into the air. Looking around, I noticed other crystal blankets exploding, revealing people of all different ages. A boy next to me tilted his head at me.

"Who are… you?"

His brown hair was ruffled messily (I'm sure mine is the same as well) and his warm hazel eyes studied me.

"S-Solstice. What… is happening?"

"Sugio, and I have absolutely no idea."

People started to get up and wander around, and the whole room was filled with murmurs and whispers.

"Where are we?"

"What's going to happen to us?"

A few minutes later, we all froze as a small hiss was heard. More and more hisses emanated from various places, and everyone began to scream and bump into each other. A man of thirty stepped onto a bed and shouted.

"Don't panic! We'll find a way out of this! I repeat, don't panic!"

Everyone immediately stopped screaming and stood in one place. It was then I realized that the man didn't stop them; it was the slight glowing everyone had on their chests. One by one, people started to pull various "items" from their chests.

 _Voids?!_

Everyone has heard stories of the Void Genome, Voids in general. However, no one was able to pull out their own Voids before…

"Over here! Everyone, over here!"

A woman was gesturing to the door, in which a man holding a hammer was currently pounding on. Many others started to join in, and the steel door soon swung open, free from its locks. The mass of humans started to push out, coughing and sputtering as the poison in the room grew stronger.

Sugio looked over at me and took my hand. "Let's not get lost," he stuttered. I gave him a small nod before we pushed out of the door, arriving on a long, slender staircase. People shoved past us, eager to get out of the building as soon as possible. Sugio squeezed my hand, and we started to climb the stairs. One by one by one. The poison in my lungs made it hard to breathe, and I saw Sugio struggling as well.

Screams. Gunshots. My heart froze as I set eyes on the battle scene. Guards were shooting at us, yelling at us. Bodies fell.

"Voids. We need to use our Voids," Sugio shouted. "Everyone! USE YOUR VOIDS!"

I nodded and stuck my hand in the light emanating from my chest, drawing out a pair of gloves. It looked sort of useless, but I wore them anyways. The remaining people alive had weapons and items of all sorts, and I watched as Sugio took out a pair of glasses. The guards panicked and ran as a man slashed a 4 feet long sword at them with a menacing glare.

"Everyone, this way!"

Most of the adults followed him, but several kids stayed back, wide-eyed. I glanced at our little group of… well, uselessness. One gripped a ribbon; another a mirror. Sugio gasped as his glasses flashed light blue, and a tiny square appeared on the lenses of his glasses.

"A… a map!" he murmured excitedly, turning towards me. "We should be able to get out… but the easiest way is through this wall, if you don't want to chance upon any guards." He pointed towards the wall in front of us. I nodded and glanced back towards our group. No one was sure that their Void could break through the wall, but many stepped up anyways to try. Alongside many, I punched the wall as well: but with a much different result. The brick crumbled beneath my fist, and everyone turned to stare at me. I punched again and again until the whole wall collapsed, revealing the city behind. Immediately, our group of ragged kids pushed outwards into the twilight landscape beyond. Sugio nodded at me and jumped through, leaving me behind in the building. Just as I was about to jump, I heard a voice behind me.

"Don't. Move. One. Muscle."

I slowly turned around to the figure of a blonde boy holding a gun to my head. He had a steely gaze in his eye, and I watched as he squeezed the trigger.

 _BAM!_

I watched as the bullet crumbled to the floor, my glove protecting me. The boy widened his eyes and I used the moment of hesitation to jump off. It was only a 10 feet jump, and I bent my knees once my foot connected with the sandy ground. Bobbing my head to the other kids, we began to run. And run. And run.


	4. THE REAL STORY BEGINS

_I'm a Voidrunner. You probably don't know what it is, so I'll tell you. We are a small group of people who can pull out their Voids, given to us by a genetic virus: Crystal Shell._

 _The truth is, the government is scared of us. They don't know who or what we are. So they try to kill us, hunt us. So we have formed a group. For shelter. Safety. Protection._

 _We have been running for a year._

 _It's time for us to stand up._


	5. Identities Revealed

****Solstice****

 ** _Pant, pant._** **My footsteps echoed on the pavement, scaring away the nearby birds that have settled down around here, searching for food.** ** _Just like me,_** **I thought. I held the loaf of bread that I managed to grab up to my chest.** ** _Still warm from the oven._** **I gobbled down my breakfast, then looked up at the bright morning sky. I started to run again, back to headquarters, or the Voidrunner hideout. I wouldn't call it a hideout though, since we have top of the line technology hidden there. Smiling, I ran down the nearby alley and with a thrust of my gloves, the earth beneath my feet pushed me up into the air. Using my Void, I opened a hole in the nearby wall and started to descend the tunnel, making sure to close the hole again. The smell of musty earth greeted my nose, until I saw a little crack of light in the ceiling. With a jump, I pushed open the trapdoor and leaped out.**

 **"** **Hello, didn't know you'd come back so early," said the top communicator, Sugio. He blinked, and his glasses flashed a few times. "You took approximately 545.679843 seconds." I rolled my eyes. Sugio has a digital-type Void, where he can use the help of a computer almost anywhere with his glasses. That's why he became the newsman in our little group of Voidrunners, ready to inform everyone about any upcoming events.**

 **I sighed.**

 **It has been a year since our escape from the "lab." The government gave up hunting us down a few weeks ago, after they wiped out all of the adult Eclectics that went into hiding. Apparently, kids weren't too big of a problem. Somehow, our group of 13 kids managed to stay alive, and we have been hiding underground the city ever since.**

 **The weird thing was, everything was pretty relaxed. One would think we would be living like hobos on the streets of Japan, but it was quite the opposite. We slid into society quite nicely, and as long as we don't show our scars, no one will know who we are.**

 **"** **Hey Sugio, I'm gonna go dive. See you in an hour."**

 **He broke into a wide grin, wiggling his eyebrows with me. "Ah, virtual date with your boyfriend?"**

 **"** **No. One, he isn't my boyfriend, and two we're just completing some missions."**

 **"** **Yeah yeah. I always thought you were going to be mine, though. Too bad some Hawke guy FLEW in and SNATCHED you away, hmm?"**

 **I stared blankly at him.**

 **"** **You know? Flew and snatched? Hawk? Get it?"**

 **"** **You suck at flirting," I said while rolling my eyes at him. "An amoeba wouldn't even fall for you."**

 **"** **Aww, don't be a bad sport. BTW, I'm using the NerveGear after you." he chuckled and went back to whatever he was doing with his glasses.**

 **I grabbed my NerveGear and plopped onto a square piece of ground.**

 **"** **Link Start!"**

 ** **Ayden****

 ** _Thirteen Voidrunners still out there… Crystal Shell… Da'ath..._**

 **Shaking my head from the thoughts of the last meeting, I placed the NerveGear on my head and shouted the two words, launching me into a blur of colors.**

 **My feet hit solid ground, and I opened my eyes.**

 **"** **You're five minutes late." I looked up at the figure of Alina, who folded her arms and gave me an accusing stare.**

 **"** **Eh… sorry. I had a meeting."**

 **"** **A meeting? Seriously? You sound like an old man. Wait..** ** _are_** **you an old man?"**

 **"** **What?! No!" I shook my head furiously. "If I told you who I was, you would probably faint with joy."**

 **"** **If I told you who I was, you would probably faint with fear."**

 **I stared at her. "Fear?"**

 **"** **Haha, just joking." She grinned at me. "I'm just a normal high school girl."**

 **I rolled my eyes and started walking towards the portal that would take us to the Realm of Forests.**

 **"** **Dude, are you ok?"**

 **I stared blankly at Alina.**

 **"** **You look stressed out over something; you're making me get all the XP. Is there something wrong?"**

 **"** **I... can't really concentrate…"**

 **"** **Then, let's do this mission another time. I don't want to die on the boss level." She swiped the screen, and we reappeared at the Realm of Light spawn area. "Wanna go grab a bite? Virtual food's a joy." I nodded and followed her into a nearby cafe.**

 **"** **So… you wanna talk about anything? Or are you gonna log back out and talk to other people?"**

 **"** **Um... I think I can trust someone who I met a year ago."**

 **The waiter appeared, and I ordered a croissant whereas Alina ordered a burger, french fries, and a lemonade drink.**

 **"** **That's a lot for a 'bite,'" I commented.**

 **She shrugged her shoulders as the food we ordered appeared in front of us.**

 **I chuckled and swiped the menu a few times, locking the table we were sitting in to prevent any eavesdroppers.**

 **"** **So… I guess we can start off by saying… our real names?"**

 **She sighed. "I'm… Solstice Himura, age 16. You?"**

 **"** **Ayden Takanashi, age 16."**

 **"** **Takanashi?! The president's son?!" She stood up, hands shaking.**

 **I gave her a casual grin. "Yep, that's me."**

 **"** **Wait… so, you're going to tell me a bunch of government things?" She said while sitting back down, looking quite flustered.**

 **"** **Yeah… do you want to hear them? The thing is, I don't really have many 'friends' and things like that. I was pretty much tutored my whole life."**

 **"** **Ah…"**

 **"** **So, shall I begin?"**


	6. Voidkillers

**Solstice**

I thought he was going to smirk and say, "Haha! You fell right into my trap!" He would trace my location with the NerveGear, and the remaining Voidrunners would be caught and killed. Probably brutally. My heart thumped against my rib cage and my hands shook.

Forcing a smile, I managed to nod and listen to what he was going to say.

"You know what a Voidrunner is, right?"

I bit my lip and bobbed my head slightly. I didn't like where this was going.

"Well, thirteen Voidrunners still exist. The public believe that we gave up on finding them, but… the truth is…" he gave me a small smile. "We found out where they are."

I sucked in a loud breath. My body refused to move.

 _He knows. He knows. They know. They know. They all know._

"Alin- I mean Solstice- are you ok?"

I stared at my half-eaten burger.

 _Say something!_

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. Go on."

"Alright then… well, I shouldn't be telling you this, but we'll be planting a bomb there on the 18th. Hopefully, this will eradicate the virus-"

"J-just leave them alone. They haven't done anything wrong, right? Aren't they just… children?"

He grimaced. "That's what a lot of people think. They won't do anything because they are 'runners.' The truth is, 'Voidrunners' only categorize those 13 kids."

A slight pause.

"Voidkillers… describe the rest of them."

"Void… killers?"

"Yeah. The adults that escaped the lab. Instead of running away, something… changed in them. Their eyes…"

Ayden shuddered.

"They killed all of the soldiers there and damaged 12 Endlaves. We finally…"

His eyes glazed over.

"... had no choice but to kill them all."

I met his eyes. They were steely blue. It chilled me to the spine.

"So, we need to kill the remaining ones, children or not. For all we know, they could be planning something even more devastating. Lost Christmas cannot happen again."

 _Thump. Thump. Thump._

It was like an eternity before he broke his stare.

He dropped his head down and sighed.

"Sorry… I shouldn't have told you all that… you won't tell anyone, right?"

 _Thump. Thump. Thump._

"Of course."

He looked up and grinned.

"It's nice getting this stuff off my chest. Thanks for listening."

 _Thump. Thump. Thump._

"Yeah… no problem."


	7. Taking a Stand

**Solstice**

"I'm underneath the building at your exact coordinates."

"Alright. He should be asleep now; try not to make a ruckus. Also, don't forget to leave the peace letter on his bed or something."

"Yeah… this kidnapping is skyrocketing my nerves, you know."

Sugio laughed. "It should be fine, considering you've seen him hundreds of times."

"It was only 8 quests, so shut up."

"Mhm. Have fun. Don't screw up, or we're dead."

"That's very nice to know. I'd like to add the fact that I'm ALONE on this mission."

"Sorry, I know. The fate of the Voidrunners is in your hands. Over."

The static in my earphone stopped, leaving me in a tunnel of silence. Transport is going to be really difficult with a body…

I sighed. After I found out that the government was planning on wiping out our little group of Voidrunners with a bomb, we decided to stop hiding and make "peace" with the government. Apparently, that got Sugio pretty fired up (influencing the younger children) so we actually named ourselves "Crystal Pavilion." And decided to take the president's son hostage. Hurray.

But, Sugio was right. It was time for us to stand up together. If the government no longer sees us as a threat, we could find out what this "Crystal Shell" is and… hopefully… live a normal life.

I looked up, pointing my flashlight at the earth ceiling.

 _It's now or never._

 **Ayden**

 _Crumble…_

I opened my eyes. _Did I just hear something?_

A slight tap.

 _My gun…_

My hand grasped around the familiar handle of my prized HT-42.

"Who's there?"

Another small tap.

"Solstice."

A flashlight clicked on.

 _Solstice?_

The faint glow illuminated her familiar face. The faint twinkle in her eyes, and how her bangs slid across her face…

"H-how?"

She gave me a sad smile. "Do you want to take a stamina potion? You're not looking too well."

"Yeah…"

 _Am I dreaming? This is a dream, right?_

"Here. Take this." She handed me a small vial with rough, leather gloves. The cap was off already, and she set it on my lips, tilting it slightly. The liquid met my tongue, which immediately rejected the taste.

I quickly spat the liquid out, the slight taste dimming my senses.

 _Something is wrong._

I whipped my gun out and pointed it at the so called "Solstice."

"What are you-"

Her gloves passed through my gun, turning it into black dust. The rough glove clamped across my mouth, muting my shout.

"I'm sorry Ayden…"

My breathing slowed.

 _Why… what's happening… so tired…_

Everything faded into the darkness.

 **Solstice**

"Solstice!" Reyna ran towards me, her ribbon Void wrapping around the limp body I carried on my back. "I'm so glad you're ok… I'll take care of him."

I nodded and let the bright red ribbons lift Ayden's body into the air and onto the floor. The rest of the Voidrunners crowded around me, giving me high-fives or acting plain relieved. The younger ones were poking Ayden and touching his fluffy hair.

"You guys, stop harassing our hostage. It's not nice."

"Fine… but he's a lot cuter in person than he is on TV!" Isha whined.

I sighed. "You guys are way too relaxed…what if he wakes up? I only fed him a little bit of the liquid..."

Reyna laughed. "It's alright, he's unarmed and we have our Voids. Besides, he won't harm his only friend, right?"

I rolled my eyes.

"Shouldn't we tie him up?" Steven looked worried. "What if he attacks us in our sleep?"

"I'll watch. Send the younger ones to sleep, we have to get ready for tomorrow."

Steven nodded and started to round up the yawning children like sheep.

Reyna tapped me on the shoulder. "You want to take shifts?"

"Yeah. I'll take the first one. Let's bring him to the surface in the abandoned apartment."

"No prob," she replied as ribbons started to collect around our hostage. "Let's go."

 **Ayden**

The faint smell of dust tickled my nose, causing it to respond back with a sneeze.

 _Where am I? What… happened?_

In a flash, the memories came back to me. A girl… a glove… dragging me through the darkness…

I flexed my hands, still groggy. The soft moonlight illuminated my surroundings, revealing a small room with a bed.

However, I wasn't alone. Someone was there, in the shadows. Breathing, but staying still.

"Show yourself." I spoke, letting my voice ring through the room.

A small footstep. Hesitation.

"You… need anything?"

I knew it was her. The girl who kidnapped me. The one with the gloves. A Voidrunner. The one… who couldn't be Solstice.

"Who are you?"

Silence.

"Tell me. Tell me who you are!"

"A Voidrunner who wants to live."


End file.
